Monkey Love III: Dangers of Reminiscing
by LilyHellsing
Summary: A woman of Monty's late past comes back into his life...and the child he never knew he had wants him dead! Nukpana must protect her own while debating if her masters worth her love. Also, a man from her own village comes, adding to the mess...R
1. Normal Day in Africa

**Come one come all to read Monkey Love: Dangers of Reminiscing!! **

**As I promised, I have published this story before November. It stumped me for weeks to try and think of how I would start at the beginning. So I decided to do a Prologue first and perhaps explain it a bit.**

**To anyone who would like to have an extra treat, "Her Child's Lullaby" is related to this story and I'd highly recommend reading it before you read into this since it makes more sense of the story. However, if you don't wish to then that's fine; this story can hold its own. I hope I can make this story similar to my first by means of writing well, people reading and reviewing, and being satisfied and perhaps even honored. **

**I will be telling you where this is happening by extreme detail or just bluntly saying it in the story as well as saying what the names mean so no worries. I hope I can make this as enchanting and enticing as I did before, especially with new OCs…let's see what happens!**

**Summary: ****A woman of Monty's late past comes back into his life...and the child he never knew he had wants him dead! Nukpana must protect her own while debating if her master cheated on her, if he is worth her love now. Just as she's about to decide, a man from her own village comes…**

**Disclaimer: I only own Nukpana, Zuri, Abidemi, and Hasani; everyone else belongs to Disney.**

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The steps to the temple were cracked from centuries of abuse, mud and dying meadow stuck on it thanks to the shoes that walked so carelessly. White swollen clouds protected the villagers by floating before the sun which beat down mercilessly in these months of summer. They took in the sunlight, filling up with it instead of filling up with rain they desperately needed. Despite the bandage like coverage from the rays of the sun, heat seeped through and found the ground most attractive. With every step one took, it felt as though the ground were on fire which was near impossible.

When one walked on the ground, little pats of dirt kicked up like the dust of a neglected home. That's all the ground was; dirt. Once they had beautiful grains and crops growing, tall grass surrounding them with both loveliness and the dangers of creatures. The wind blew but it was no longer appreciated for instead of caressing the wasted away grass, it kicked up dirt instead. It was summer though so no one was surprised when they stepped out of their huts and felt hot coals beneath their bare foot.

Because the days grew longer, many people stayed indoors. The huts made of clay and dried mud provided a few degrees cooler than just roaming outside. Women walked around topless, cooking and cleaning as usual. Children played naked while their older siblings who weren't married just yet wore only a thin cloth, helping their parents. Men either sat against the damp clay wall smoking tobacco or taught their sons the business of marketing, farming, life.

However, there was one family who did nothing of the sort. It was more of a broken family, an unfinished one, for there was no father. Outside in the scorching weather stood two figures although one did more moving than the other. The woman looked similar to an hour glass with muscular legs and thin arms, shocking since the other human being was her son.

Her chestnut colored hair shined brightly against the sun when it escaped through the barriers. It was impossible for her to tie it up like other women did with pieces from their skirts since hers barely reached her shoulder, cut clean with a knife. The woman's eyes watched her son move about, training.

This female was known to the village as both sacred and dishonored. Her family line protected an important part of their home, making her something similar to a goddess. When this important thing was taken from under her guard and she became round with child with no man nearby, they shunned her. Still, when she was seem walking through the pathways of the village, people stopped and stared.

It wasn't because of her past sins or bloodline glories; it was because of her beauty. Like most people, her skin was dark from the African sun along with genes. Her hair was similar to half the population of girls and her figure like one of a teenager. It was her eyes stopped made people gape, the very thing that separated her from the others, that marked that she was a keeper of treasure.

Treasure she guarded and lost, treasure she gained and possessed. It looked like the gods had removed her eyes and replaced them with two sparkling emeralds. No one else in that place had such color, making her being simply stunning. Her name meant beautiful because when she first opened her eyes and cried when she was a babe, her mother proclaimed her to be a goddess.

"Mother Zuri, can I stop now?" The boy asked, pausing in his steps; he was crouching crookedly at the moment. Sweat gleamed and rolled down his skin which strangely was not as dark as hers. True he had a tan but his skin was almost white, thanks to the genes he inherited from his father.

"We've been out here only for an hour." The goddess look alike spoke calmly, snapped out of her daydreams. Watching her son train made her wonder what it would be like to watch him attack the owner of the seed that made him.

Pushing away the messy jet black hair that clung to his sweaty neck, he nodded. "Yes mother." He started to do various tricks, practicing control in his punches and kicks. In his mind, he pictured the man that his mother had described to him so many times before.

"Good, Abidemi, good." She complimented him as he threw another punch. "Perfect form…keep your arm straight." Her voice was firm and clipped, the way a teacher would speak.

The young lad kept his arm straight for a brief second before pulling back and replacing it with his leg. Like his mother, he had bright jade eyes with lashes that made him look slightly feminine. However, the muscles he attained from fighting and practicing made up for that. Under the heavy studying gaze of his parent, he turned and kicked a nearby with a warrior like cry.

It was only natural for boys to be trained into warriors, to become men. It was a right of passage, in a sense. Much to Zuri's dismay, the village of Monstone not only shunned her but her flesh and blood as well. Children used to play with him until their parents pulled them away. By the time his generation turned well into their double digits, they understood why they should outcast him.

Because of this, his mother was forced to train him at the age of ten. Five years had passed since their first lesson and he was possibly the best fighter of his age. True that Zuri had no former experience in fighting but her fury made up for it. Fury every woman felt when scorned, when abandoned with a child, made her teach her son. It wasn't only a lesson in how to fight; it was a lesson in how to destroy the man she once loved.

More time had passed before either noticed. The sun was going down, giving a welcomed chill to the air of Africa. Abidemi stood up, his limbs screaming in exhaustion, but remained still. When his mother finally snapped out of her daydream once more, she smiled. "That was good, my son. Come; we need to rest up. We are taking a journey tomorrow."

"A journey, Mother Zuri?" He looked up at her as they walked back to the temple. Despite the fact that the treasure was lost, she still had to live in such a high place until death.

"Yes…to America."

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Monstone is my own clever combination of Monkey Stone; if you read "Her Child's Lullaby" you'll know why but if not, then it will be explained later.

**Next chapter: We see how Nukpana, Monty, and Hasani are fairing after so many years; we also see Ron and Kim's relationship/status after so long. Review please! **


	2. Life Nine Years Later

**It's quite amazing at how many times I have listened to "Mordred's Lullaby" by Heather Dale – 525 times already. As if to prove I love the song and my story, I have decided to make a music video with it…involving the story. I'll be using clips from the movie Merlin, The Other Boleyn Girl, and Kim Possible as well…maybe some other movies. It'll be hard to find someone who looks like Nukpana (Zuri will be easy to find I hope) so I'll have to stay after school and Photoshop some pictures…therefore; it will take a few weeks. **

**By the way, I decided to do the Ron/Kim relationship in the next chapter because it would go well with the storyline. I re-wrote this two or three times and although I like the beginning, I just don't think the middle was all it could have been…what do you guys think?**

**Thanks to PengyChan, HotarutheChainMaster, and VampireNaomi for reviewing! **

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"Again!" Needles couldn't hold their prickly points to the voice's sharpness. Neither the darkest chocolate nor the shiniest of golds could hold their own against the richness of it. It possessed a certain kind of wisdom beyond age, a harsh like determined, and perhaps even a little bit of insanity. "Don't you dare stop boy, again!"

Wheezing nearly overcame the volume of the owner's father, allowing a passer by to hesitant in step, believing there was a ghost within. The sound of something cutting through the air assaulted the passer by's ears. The sound of flesh against flesh rang out a familiar sound, having it echo even before the house was built.

Bare feet walked silently on the wooden ground as though it were as soundless as carpet. The being stood at the doorway which lacked a door; her callused hand resting against the smooth wooden ledge. Even as a child, her ears had been like a wolf's, hearing things with precision. However, she didn't need such accuracy to hear her master shout, "That's not right, Hasani! I've told you and showed you; I've even had the _monkeys_ show you!"

Deciding that was her cue, the woman walked into the room with ghost feet. "What are my two favorite boys up to?" Her voice was as soft as her eyes were sharp with meaning. The light both from the setting sun outside and the candles around the room made them shimmer pink when in good lighting they were really crimson.

Both males, both young and old, stopped in mid motion, appearing if someone had taken a snap shot of them. The little one called Hasani had his body leaning on one bent leg more than the other, his small hands shaking as they struggled to keep above his head. His lips were parted, his lungs desperately taking in oxygen.

The big one called Monty Fiske, or to his enemies, Monkey Fist, stood with one hand out, holding the boy's fist. He wore his old ninja garb, standing straight, his spine replaced with a rod it would seem. His cold blue eyes held specks of disappointment in them; no doubt from the latest performance of his son's fighting.

"Simple training, my dear Nukpana." His tone was leveled, firm, and betrayed no emotion.

A brow was quirked, showing disbelief that she would never voice. Walking over, the ends of the long skirt swishing around her legs, she hugged her only child. The boy, still struggling to breathe, hugged her waist tightly; his head reached her stomach while he reached only his father's waist. It was the curse of being born a month or two before he should have been.

"Simple wouldn't happen to include our Hasani wheezing like a choked hyena, would it now, Monty?" Her overly sweet tone was heard, her lips thin from annoyance.

The man's face which took the traits of a statue contorted into his own annoyance. "For God's sakes, girl, don't coddle the lad! He hasn't been able to ki-…"

Nukpana snapped, her maternal side taking over, "Why shouldn't I? You seem to keep him at arms length, if not monkey feet's length, away at all times!"

"Momma, can I get…water?" The boy's breathing soon seemed to adjust back to normal. Her eyes traveled from her lover's shocked face down to the son she held. With a smile of reassurance, she nodded.

"I'll be making tea for you both in a moment but yes, water would be good for your tired body." She watched as Hasani grinned back, a rare moment usually shared with mother and son instead of father and son.

When the child left, she shifted her gaze to the man who was now inches away. Between the small talk, he managed to take a large step to close the distance between them. "Hard to believe it's been nine years, isn't it?" It was like he was bipolar; cruel one minute, kind the next.

"Yes…it is." Nukpana confessed as she looked up at him. Between those years and now, she had learned to take care of her hair which, despite it being long, made it look healthy and shiny. Roughly a decade plus paid this twenty eight year old how to speak English but with a faint accent. In fact, she was often caught mumbling her own language under her breath, teaching bits and pieces to her son.

It had been nine years since she heard the horrible news about her son.

_Dr. Ann Possible hesitated before informing the new parents their son's condition. Monty held onto Nukpana, both weak and needing strength from one another. "Because of this RDS case was so intense, there's scarring on his lungs. He won't be able to run around a lot or do any physical activity that would require a great deal of oxygen. He can suffocate if he tries to run a mile, for example, or anything too extreme. It'll get better as he grows, but not completely. I'll give you a list of what he should and shouldn't do…"_

As if sensing the same memory, Monkey Fist brought her out from such a painful recall of the past. His hand reached out, the top covered in fur in hopes to resemble a monkey, and brushed his fingers against her dark cheek. Her eyes closed slowly, her breathing hitched briefly. It had been quite some time since he had caressed her in such a loving way. "Monty…"

Suddenly, as quick as he reached out, he pulled away. "Where's that tea?"

Nodding, she turned and walked down the hall and downstairs. It seemed just like yesterday that she had walked back into her house after a day of American Shopping, as she liked to call it, to discover a mess. It frightened her to see things turned over and hear no one. When she reached her son's room, she saw her lover rocking their offspring. As odd as it sounded, the mess had been caused by Hasani who, in a lack of words, should not have been able to do so much physical activity.

Nukpana strongly suspected that Monty was pushing their sons past his limits in hopes that Dr. Possible was wrong; if the child could out crawl his father, surely he could fight and learn Tai Shing Pek Kwar. That, she feared, was where her master was wrong; Hasani was fragile, not to be pushed too far.

When they reached the kitchen, Hasani was sitting down sipping cold water as the doctor often instructed. Dr. Possible constantly instructed Fiske to be careful and not train his son too hard when he went in for check ups. However, anyone with common sense knew that asking Monty not to train his offspring to his liking was like telling DNAmy she was ugly; they both would not listen.

"Hasani," Monkey Fist spoke in the same firm tone as before, rarely calling him 'son'. "I expect you to be ready for tonight's meditation with your mother."

"Yes Father." His voice was as unattached as his fathers, which worried Nukpana; the child was but nine years old, he should not be so…cold already. She needed to push him into a social life though she knew one did not exist since he was home schooled. Instead, she smiled, an idea popping in mind.

"My child," she spoke as she boiled the water and took out Earl Grey, "why don't I invite Uncle Ron and Aunt Kim over?"

"And Rufus too?!" His dark blue eyes lit up like a firecracker, contrasting his carbon copy hair of Monty's.

Although his eyes disapproved, the man grinned, "One would think you like that naked mole rat more than you like Ronald…I'm glad we can agree on something."

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Next chapter: Ron and Kim have a small get together with Hasani, Nukpana, and Monty. Review please!

**By the way, the whole 'DNAmy ugly' thing was not supposed to sound as cruel as it did; I don't hate her, nor do I find her that annoying, it was just the best way to describe Monty's stubbornness. **


	3. Dinner

**Well, I have the clips from Kim Possible; all I need to do is Photoshop some pictures into making them look like my OCs and download a few old movies…then I'll be able to put it together. I promise it before Christmas though!**

**And I think I really outdid myself for this chapter! It's one of the longest I've written lately lol.**

**Thanks to HotarutheChainMaster, VampireNaomi, and Katsumara for reviewing!**

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It had been noon when Nukpana walked in to see the two males in her life fighting. Their fighting was not exactly a fight; it was a sparing match, a training one to help their son get stronger. Normally it would have worked…but then again, when was anything even associated with Nukpana ever 'normal'?

Oh yes, that thought still haunted her. Nine years ago just before their beautiful child had been born, she often wondered if her gene of being a freak would be passed on. She worried almost constantly about the babe's appearance. Yet that will be saved for another moment, a moment where she actually had peace and solitude to explore it.

For now, she was cooking dinner at four, preparing early for the arrival of Ron and Kim. They usually arrived at five but since their careers sometimes got in the way, they probably would knock at the door when the clock dinged six times. How funny it was, Nukpana mused as she buzzed around the kitchen, that ten years ago it would have been crime-fighting that would get in their way. Now it was a job, crime-fighting not exactly far forgotten but certainly at arms length.

As she leaned over the rolling pin to apply pressure to the dough she flattened, she sensed someone walk into the kitchen. Their presence was familiar though, so she didn't worry. A little more than a decade ago she would have spun and attacked who it was; then again, a little more than a decade ago meant she was in the jungle. However, now was not a good time to start reminiscing.

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor alerted her as to who it was; the chair seemed to be resisting being pulled up to the counter, dragged against its will, crying for help in only a way where a fellow chair could understand. When the edge of it touched the counter, the body that pulled it away from its sanctuary quickly climbed it. "Can I help, Momma?"

Not bothering to pause between the rolling of dough, she nodded. "You can stick the meatloaf in the oven, my son." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that he bobbed his head up and down in a way of obedience. He paused, his foot hanging off the chair, when he turned back to her. Before she could ask what was wrong, he quickly pulled on the ribbon that held her long and semi-ruly hair back. It tightened, keeping its vice grip on every strand so it wouldn't ruin the food. "Thank you Hasani."

The little boy smiled before jumping down and doing as he was told. Nukpana paused briefly, secreting glancing at her small son and smiled. Never in her life did she expect to be a mother; then again, never did she expect to find a man who loves her. Turning away just as he finished the task, she said, "Be a dear and get that thing to start mashing the potatoes."

Even without looking at him, she knew his baby blue eyes lit up at the joyful task. Of course, she had given him such a heavy task to let him release his frustrations in a way where he wouldn't get in trouble. Plus, it would strengthen his muscles after a while.

Monty never truly appreciated the fact that his lover would let their son help in the kitchen. In a sense, though he was a gentleman he was also a chauvinist bastard. Then again, most gentlemen are. He believed that his son should be training or learning about monkeys (or something related to them), not cooking.

Grabbing a thin knife, she began to cut out shapes of the dough, planning to make biscuits out of them. Looking at her son mash the vegetable, she almost laughed. In more than appearance, he really was Monty's son. He wore the same kind of expression of concentration when he was at work. His blue eyes were almost carbon copy of his fathers but she suspected his messy hair was from her, since Monty's didn't go crazy until after _he _went crazy.

"Momma, since I have your attention…" Hasani started off, making the woman almost laugh; he had her gift of awareness. "I was wondering; why don't I go to school?"

"Why do you wonder that?" She played false ignorance. She knew very well why he did; she knew as well as a sheep knew it wouldn't get mercy from a wolf. Hasani was nine years old and lacking even one human friend. Sure the monkeys played with him, and there were even times when Nukpana suspected they spoke the same language because they laughed, but it wasn't the same.

He suddenly spun around in his chair, having amazing balance. "Momma, I need friends! I know I'm unable to play like them but I would be very, very careful, I promise! I just get so lonely; all we do is study, train, and meditate."

Feeling guilt and shame fill her like water in a glass, she studied him in silence. It was partly her fault as well; although she wanted her son to go to school, she didn't defy her master. However, not wanting to admit her shame, she said smoothly, "You would never take such a tone with your father." Hasani looked away. "Don't worry my son, one day you'll be in school."

He opened his mouth to say something when a deeper voice beat him to it. "What is he doing in the kitchen?! He has an instrument in his hand but nothing in his mouth…Nukpana, are you forcing him to cook?"

Monkey Fist had stepped in moments after she spoke so smoothly. He had an expression of faint annoyance on which seemed to be a norm as time went on. "Good evening to you, Monty." She was weary of calling him 'master' before their son; despite being a pre-mature child and smaller in body size, he certainly had the mental capacity of a grad student.  
"He should either be watching a documentary or meditating." He ignored her sarcastic remark.

"I need help since Ron and Kim will be here soon so leave us be." Her tone was sharp, the same kind she used to break up the intense sparring matches. Their eyes met, communicating silently. It was like a hoedown.

Finally Monty shook his head, not exactly defeated since pride wouldn't allow it but certainly tired. "Be quick then." He turned to leave. "We need to discuss the…" Suddenly a handful of mashed potatoes slammed into his back and exploded like a snowball.

His heels spun to their own accord, making him face the two beings. The uncooked food went flying into the wall though the rage he felt warming him certainly would have cooked it. "Who…threw…that?" His teeth were visibly gritted, his eyes narrowed.

Nukpana and Hasani wore a similar expression; big eyes, thin mouth, eyebrows shot up. In unison, they pointed to each other, struggling not to laugh at their silent little plan. Monty glared at them both before growling. "Make me some tea and finish dinner!"

When he left the room, Hasani quickly wiped his hand off on a dish rag, making sure the evidence was not on him. Chuckling softly, Nukpana headed back to the dough and mused, "You are but nine, my child, and you are already rebellious as a teenager."

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As true as she assumed, the bell did not ring until six o'clock. Minutes before, dinner had been fixed and set out on the table along with hot Early Grey tea. She was also sure, as a good host would be that there was plenty of coffee for the Americans just in case, like Ron, they did not like tea.

Nukpana had decided to wear a dress that complimented her figure, which was back to normal after having Hasani. It was a deep red, almost a maroon color that dipped into a V for Monkey Fist's amusement, matched with pearl earrings. Monty wore his usual garb of kimonos and such. Hasani, however, wore blue jeans and a t-shirt which looked quite out of place on him since he looked so…Egyptian, in a sense.

Opening the door, she saw Ron and Kim. It seemed that both women were in a silent, but fun, competition of who could out dress the other since she wore an emerald dress with diamond earrings. Her long red hair which reached her waist now, or would if it wasn't imprisoned, was tied in a bun with a few strands slipping away.

Ronald wore what he wore to work apparently; a suit.

"Good evening, my two old friends!" Nukpana smiled and hugged them both lightly. When she pulled away, she noted mentally that they smelled like each other…as well as sweat. Perhaps work wasn't the thing that kept them so long?

"Hey Nukpana!" Kim smiled while Ron said it half excited. After a quick greeting, she allowed them to step into the house. Both knew not to wear expensive shoes since they wouldn't be wearing it in the house of Fiske.

Slipping them off, the red head and blond young man allowed their feet to be greeted by the plush carpet covering the chilled floor. Leading them to the dining room, though they knew where it was blindfolded, Nukpana briefly complimented them on their latest successes.

"I still can't believe you actually saved a rainforest, Kim." She looked at the red head who looked as modest as she was ten years ago. In a sense, as said before, crime fighting was not far forgotten, merely held at arms length.

"No big. Anyway, I knew Monkey Fist would have done something if I hadn't…a whole group of rare monkeys lived there." She said with a wave of her hand as though swatting away gnats. It seemed habit after so long that they both called Monty by his other name.

True that Monty didn't steal anymore…partly true, but they still referred to him by his villain name merely because he referred to them by their last names. Nukpana actually feared this was as friendly as they would get. Actually, in a sense, almost nothing had changed except two or three major things.

Ronald was still terrified of monkeys, Kim was still saving the world except getting paid this time, and Monty Fiske sometimes became Monkey Fist. Father Time had barely touched the three young people who all looked well before the true age of 28. Yet touches of gray to the temple had changed Monty's hair. Otherwise, besides a few rare worry wrinkles, he looked the same.

When they entered the dining room, Hasani all but tackled Ronald to the ground. "Uncle Ron! Do you have Rufus?!" Monkey Fist had walked in at that moment, smirking at his son's antics. Although he couldn't tackle the lad and get away with it, his offspring certainly could.

"Umph!" Ron caught himself inches above the ground before looking at the leech like child on his leg. "Hello Hasani." He smiled softly. Through the years, his opinion and affection had changed for the small boy. The first time he saw him in the hospital; well he basically freaked out and ran around screaming 'monkey baby, ahhh!' Yet as time passed and as he grew (as far as Ron Stoppable could grow that is) he found to be adoring the boy.

Although he had his mother's arms and legs, not the shape mind you but the hair, he looked human instead of ape like. Ron reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a sleeping ball of pink chewed gum. Though this ball was not chewed gum; it was Rufus! Hasani's smile covered his entire face as he gently grabbed the mole rat.

As he waited for the creature to wake up and realize where he was, he sat down. Monty looked at Ron who looked back now that there were no distractions. "Evening Stoppable." He smirked at the boy, ensuring that he caught a glimpse of his monkey paw/hand just to taunt him.

Although he had adjusted to see them, it still made him wonder how insane the Englishman was. "Evening Monkey Fist."

The ex-villain stepped forward and grabbed Kim's left hand, kissing the back of it as he bowed slightly. "Good evening Mrs. Stoppable. You look lovely…to think the husband of yours was able to afford such a rock." He mused about the diamond ring on her finger. The diamond was as big as two pebbles and in shape of a heart, the golden band encrypted with a simple 'KP, U Stole My Heart".

Blushing at the attention, Kim smiled at him. "Thank you, Monkey Fist. Wow dinner smells delicious!" She quickly pushed her husband along so there wouldn't be a fight.

Kim and Ron sat together while across from them Monty and Nukpana did, though the women were diagonal to keep the fights to a low. On the end of the table was Hasani and Rufus. The red eyed mother poured tea, and coffee, but paused to study the diamond on Kim's hand.

It was true that she saw it several times through the past few months, but for some reason it seemed to bug her today. It felt like…it felt like she was jealous! She was jealous that her fingers were bare and Kim's were not. Still smiling almost plastic like, she began to discuss a few things.

Ron had reached for the wrong cup and immediately spat it back out. Instead of tasting the richness of coffee, he tasted Early Grey. "Honestly Ron, sometimes I wonder if you detest tea just because Monty drinks it." Nukpana tapped the cup of coffee to show him which was which.

Hasani looked like he was silently snickering. Rufus looked up, blinked twice to get his vision straight, and let out a joyful shout. The little mole rat jumped onto Hasani, hugging him to the best of his ability.

"It seems my son cares more for the rat than its owner." Monty commented slyly as though admiring a painting in a museum.

"Uh, so tell us Ron how is work?" Monty's lover quickly jumped the subject.

After glaring briefly at the monkey man across from him, he looked at his friend. "It's been boring. I've run out of ideas for new item menus for Beuno Nacho."

She once again beat Monty to dryly speaking. "Monty, Kim saved a rainforest earlier, if you haven't heard already." The man bit into the meatloaf but looked utterly uninterested until she added, "There was a group of rare monkeys living there too."

Seeing it was her turn to keep the conversation, and evening, from going ugly, Kim nodded. "Oh! Yes, I did. I had to sabotage a few machines but it was well worth it." There was a lightness in her tone that made them all think about her teen years. How she had saved the rainforest was really far away from what she said…actually, it wasn't, yet it was.

"How's Hasani doing in his studies?" Ron abruptly asked, looking at the child who ate and chatted with Rufus.

Nukpana raised a brow, cautious on impulse and not by choice. "Why do you ask?"

"I just thought he'd be in schoo-…" Kim elbowed her husband harshly before drinking out of her cup.

Recovering for his stumble, she quickly said, "We've seen a few books in your living room and they look very big for someone his age. Hasani, do you really understand all of it?"

It would have been quite ironic if he didn't hear what his 'uncle' had to say. Yet he looked at his 'aunt' and nodded. "Yes Aunt Kim. I'm reading into algebra right now, practicing some equations."

Unable to resist the opportunely his son had unwittingly gave him, Monkey Fist sipped his tea while sarcastically saying, "I'm sure Stoppable still has trouble doing those."

"At least I can figure out how many years is too long to wait for a wedd-…" Kim covered his mouth this time, seeing the flash of injury in Nukpana's eyes. Although he hadn't intended for the comment to slap the woman, it had the side effect of doing so. He was bluntly referring to how long Monty and Nukpana had been together as a 'monkey couple' yet were not married.

There was an awkward silence, even Hasani sensed something wrong. When his father wasn't looking, Hasani often watched television shows made by Americans. They were usually mindless and pointless which was what a nine year old needed at times. In all the shows he saw though, few had married couples so it made sense that he didn't understand completely what was wrong at this very moment. In a way, he was ignorant to what marriage even meant!

"How about desert?" Nukpana smiled widely as she stood. They had been friends for roughly a decade if not a few more months so both knew when her smiles were real and when they were as plastic as a Barbie doll's boobs. Without waiting for a replying, she hustled to the kitchen.

Rufus, smart enough to know what exactly went wrong, distracted his young friend while Monty glared daggers at Ron…so did his wife. With a sigh of annoyance and reluctance, he stood and followed the path Nukpana had.

"Hey…" He spoke softly when he stepped in. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said, it wasn't meant for…" A small cake was shoved into his hands.

"Go take that to the table." She said semi softly, her eyes as hard as the ice that floated in their cold drinks.

Eyeing her with a look of apology, he nodded and walked out.

Nukpana put the drinks down for a moment, staring out the window. With a soft sigh, she shook her head though she knew very well that would not rid herself of the thoughts. Putting on her best fake smile so her son wouldn't get suspicious, or to ruin the rest of the damaged evening, she walked out and prepared for the best and the worst.

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Next chapter: Can you guess what Ron and Kim do for a living? Wonder when they got married? We see a little bit of daily routines in Ron and Kim's life. Nukpana and Monty discuss a few things at night...and get a little action-like in bed ;D Not what you think it is! Review please!


	4. Dinner Aftermath

**Thanks to Pengychan, VampireNaomi, and Katsumara for reviewing!**

**I recently made a trailer to this story just for fun. If you would like to see it, check out my profile and the link will be there! **

**I have to admit, it took me a few extra days then I wanted it to take to post this. Why, you ask? Because I was teasing my brother who's nine years old about his first 'girlfriend' XD It was too funny to pass up! And adorable.**

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Though their conversations were attempts to be civil and speak of things 'normal' people would speak of, half the time it were subtle insults. These hidden abuses traveled across the room and table like little bullets, damaging only pride and sensibility. It went on for hours.

The clock showed it was well past nine and, although it seemed early for the adults, for little Hasani it was bedtime.

After dinner, they all had coffee except for Monty who insisted upon another cup of Earl Grey. Ron, who seemed to be the starter of such subtle snaps, seemed rather satisfied that they had something American. Nukpana only smiled at his comment for they would always tease each other of their origins; America, Egypt, and England.

As they spoke for the next hour and a half, Hasani lay on his own bean bag, playing and talking to Rufus. Although his master had grown, Rufus seemed to be as young and as spry as before. Chattering and chipping almost, he spoke words that a three year old would say. True the mole rat was incredibly smart for his species, but his thoughts that he could express into words were limited.

While they spoke of simple things, such as jobs and the world's events and even a bit of the past, Hasani fell asleep. It was as though when the clock struck nine that a little button in his mind shut off his brain, in a sense, and put him to sleep. Once he was in a dead slumber, Nukpana became rather motherly and placed a warm blanket over him. "Monty will carry him when we go to bed." She informed her friends after kissing her son's forehead.

The red head smiled but felt a pang of hurt in her heart. She was 28, just like Ron and Nukpana, and although their careers were on the peak of perfection, she longed for something. They were all young and still had a few dreams, their old ones fallen like the plucked petal of a flower. There was one thing she still dreamed of and probably would for quite some time.

Months ago she had gotten the wedding she always dreamed of to the man she truly loved. Her father had, with teary eyes, given her away to that man. Her mother had cried as she helped pick out the dress she would wear. Her friends stood on the side, smiling happily for her. It was all she dreamed of and more.

Now, watching her old friend kiss her son, she felt her maternal instincts kick in…and she wanted a child.

How ironic it was that these two good friends should be jealous of each other, jealous of what one another had. It was cruel and sickly funny at how much they pined to be in one another's shoes at times. They probably would never tell each other out loud, they sensed it.

Though she would never admit it out loud or even to herself perhaps, Nukpana desired to be married. She wanted to wear a gold band over her finger with a beautiful diamond in it that proclaimed her a true wife to Fiske. She already knew how to cook and sew, though she usually put some flesh into the piece though, and clean. She already did these traits of a good wife for Monty. True she was happy with what they had now, a lover who would risk his life for her and had done so before and a son who was perfect in her eyes, she wanted more.

Kim wanted to hold a child, to kiss a child, to hug a child, to have a child. Having a child always seemed to perfect a family. Whether or not the parents were married, just so long as they loved each other and had a child, it seemed to Kim that it was a family. In her mind, she felt as though her life was half complete. Having an offspring would complete it, would allow her to be completely happy.

After all, every woman had maternal instincts hidden somewhere. This crime fighter of sorts was no different.

"It was a delicious dinner, Nukpana! I wish I knew how to cook." Kim complimented for the umpteenth time as they stood, about to leave. The clock chimed ten times, making Nukpana chuckle.

"What do you know; Ron and Monty managed to be polite for a whole hour! Maybe they're finally growing up!" The girls snickered as their men merely glared. It was quite humorous actually to see the monkey loving man with touches of gray in his hair to be called 'growing up'.

"Anyway, we should be going." They once again exchanged good byes. "Tell Hasani we'll visit in a few weeks." Kim smiled at the sleeping child who Monty had in his arms, carrying up to bed. That was one good thing about him being premature; he was small for his age.

Once the door was shut, Nukpana turned towards her family and smiled. Unknown to Monkey fist, he looked at the son in his arms with faint pride and love in his eyes, a small grin on his face. It was clear that he treasured his son though it was probably difficult to say.

"As soon as he's in bed, Monty, come to your own." She commanded lightly before jogging up the stairs, dodging his surprised or outraged remarks.

When she reached their room, she let out a happy sigh of content, one of which a rarity. A few moments later, she heard Monty walk into the dimly lit room. Stretched out on the bed which was as soft as Monty's usual expression was hard, Nukpana looked up with a smirk. "That was a fun dinner."

Suddenly she was cut off by a warm body tackling her. With a grunt, she felt them both bounce a few times before halting any movement. Looking up at the man, she blushed to see lust gleam in his eye. Hovering over her like a hunter stalked its prey, waiting for the right moment to literally dive down and take a bite out of the neck…oh, it was hot.

"Master?"

"Don't 'master' me, girl." He still called her such a name for amusement sake. "You didn't allow me to snap at Stoppable, not as much as I would have liked."

"Are you going to punish me?" She arched her hips up, giggling like a maiden when she felt his hard flesh against her thigh.

"Oh yes, you can believe that." He leaned down, his lips barely a centimeter from her lips. At this position, he couldn't see how huge her eyes were. "Do you want to know your punishment?"

"Please?" She whispered, her voice husky. It had been so long since they played like this! She recalled how when she first was taken in by him, when she first got into calling him 'master', when she first started to train under his watch…she fantasized. Her fantasies were far from pure or innocent, not when it involved dark whimpers of his name and slaps of the flesh sounding around the room.

"No sex for tonight then." He suddenly rolled off her, lying on the side far from the lamp.

"What?!" She almost screeched.

Monty smirked as he closed his eyes. "Careful my dear, you're starting to sound more monkey like every time. Anyway, that is your punishment; no sex."

"But…" She stopped suddenly. Nukpana's red eyes drifted up to his face to see how tired he really was. With a sad smile, she tilted her head and realized he was indeed getting old…he was too tired from life to make love.

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I wasn't originally going to stop here but looking at my schedule for the next week, I won't be able to update after tonight…or write too much, just scraps. Hope you enjoyed this chapter though!

**Next chapter: Can you guess what Ron and Kim do for a living? Wonder when they got married? We see a little bit of daily routines in Ron and Kim's life. **


	5. Jobs

**Thanks to Pengychan, Katsumara, and VampireNaomi for reviewing!**

**By the way, has anyone had any contact with HotarutheChainMaster lately? I noticed she's not really reviewing my story which is odd since she used to and it just got me wondering if she's been online and such. I sent her a PM but have only heard crickets.**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

**By the way, I thought about slipping a Christmas or New Year chapter into the story but, after much pondering, figured that it would be too soon in the story. Maybe later.**

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"That was a nice dinner." Kim commented lightly as they walked to their car. Ron looked at her with a sparkle in his eye before turning back to looking ahead of him. "Don't you think?" She urged him to reply.

The blond young man nodded. "Yeah, I guess. The food was really good." He smiled at recalling the tastes of such a rich meal. "Nukpana knows how to cook! What did she say was in the main course?" He licked his lips as though hoping there would be a trace of food left on them.

Unable to resist, she smirked and said smoothly, "Snake." Indeed it was true; Nukpana had brought one of her own recipes from her 'homeland'. It was an interesting meal but it tasted good. By the look Monty had on his face, Kim would bet that was his favorite meal made by his lovely lover.

Ron shivered, his whole body trembling. It wasn't as bad as it had been when he was younger and heard the word 'monkey', but still it shared resemblances. He had commented three times if not four about how well the meat had been cooked. He even had seconds! To think it was made from snake…

"What kind of snake?" He asked further though every molecule in his body told him to stop.

"Are you sure you want to know, husband?" Her voice was full of sadistic amusement, even a little bit of mocking. It was a rare tone indeed for she usually was 'kinder' than that. Yet even the gentlest of Saints could not pass up the chance to tease him.

"Yes…no…yes…no!" Ron slammed the door shut and turned to her, his hands thrown up. "Yes!" Desperation in his voice, he cringed at his own shouting. The car wasn't started yet though it didn't seem to matter to either of them.

"Rattlesnake." Kim answered as she looked into her compact mirror. A bottle of lipstick of a light shade caressed her lips, coloring them as she did a redo. Smacking her lips together, she closed both the make up and the mirror before looking at him. "Don't worry; she de-poisoned it."

It was a little eerie at how calm he was.

Instead of receiving the answer of what snake he just ate, he acted as though he heard that snow was threatening to come, just a light flurry nothing to worry about. Turning the key in the engine, he listened to it start and waited briefly. Driving away from the ledge was when he decided to react.

"A rattlesnake?! What if she didn't get all the poison out?! I think I'm dying!" He did an overdramatic wave of the arms.

Kim reached over, grabbing hold of the wheel before they crashed into another parked car. "Ron, if you took in any of the poison, you'd be dead by now! We ate…three or four hours ago!" Still, there was a small smile on her face from his behavior. That was why their marriage was…perfect and lively.

"Still…I could go blind right now!" He protested. "While I'm driving, that could be a very dangerous thing to happen."

"Not really." Kim shrugged her shoulders, ignoring how the straps of her dress fell, "I could always reach out and drive."

"But that's…difficult to do." He tried to make her worry even the slightest, his gaze scraping over her bare flesh.

"Ron, I've spent my entire teenhood fighting guys in big cheese buildings, aliens, and dodging exploding golf balls as well as jumping out of planes and scaling walls. Trust me, I can handle it." She gave him a look that screamed 'duh'.

The blond lad blinked and frowned. "Well…yeah, it was a good dinner."

"What's wrong with having tea for dinner?" She asked suddenly, pouncing on his first 'mistake'.

It was clear what was wrong with it; it was obvious why he disliked it so much. He hated Monkey Fist. It was the mere fact that Monty loved monkeys so much that he altered his appearance and added 'Monkey' to his name. Anything that Monkey Fist touched, looked at, or liked, he hated. Well, with the exception of Nukpana of course.

Nukpana and Hasani were different. Despite Hasani being half Monty and half Nukpana, he was a smart little guy who adored Rufus. He didn't seem to love monkeys like his father did despite his father trying to push it on him. Nukpana was kind, funny, and helpful; although she had been on orders to make friends with them, she proved to be a good friend by saving them.

"I don't like tea with dinner. Coffee is better; it's better with dessert too." He put up a wimpy answer, knowing it would not fly for long before shot down by Kim's piercing words.

"You just don't like it because Monkey Fist likes it." She stated the obvious. "If he loved Beuno Nacho, you woul-…"

This was where Ron cut her off. "Now hold on there Kim! That is a step way too far! Don't drag Beuno Nacho into this; this is between tea and you and me and…Monkey Fist." It was always like that.

"Ron…"

"Don't 'Ron' me!" He stopped at their house. "What happened has happened…come on; let's go inside and rest up for tomorrow." He grabbed her hand, sliding his fingers into hers as though clicking the lock of chains together.

When they entered their house, Kim sighed in content.

As soon as they were married, they had moved our of their parents home. A small home in their town didn't cost much and, adding a small temporary fee to Kim's rescue service, as well as putting in some money from their jobs…they had a house. Though it wasn't the white picket fence they dreamed of with a two story furnished place with each detail perfect, it was good.

"Off to bed already?" Ron asked with a large yawn.

"Yes and so should you; we both have to get up soon." She undressed quickly, loving how welcoming the bed looked. Once she wore her silk gown, noticing how Ron was in his blue ones from when he was a bit younger, she smiled. Throwing herself onto the bed, she slid thanks to the material her nightgown was made of until her head hit the pillow…and away she went.

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"Have you thought of Beuno Nacho's Sale of the Month yet, Mr. Stoppable?" A lower employee asked with a smile as he passed the chocolate eyed man. Adjusting his glasses, he paused in his walk though the rolls of his fat still jiggled briefly.

"Hello Arnie." Ron looked at the man carrying folders and smiled. "I see you're wearing the Beuno Nacho t-shirt for workers! Looks good for an XXXL; it looked like an XXL."

"Why, thank you sir."

Fixing the 'Manager' button on his shirt, Stoppable answered his earlier asked question, "Not yet though I'm close. I can feel something good is about to pop up though!"

As he went on walking down the hall to his office, Ron paused and inhaled deeply. Just the faintest whiff of Beuno Nacho's cheese was intoxicating! With a large smile, he continued his way to the room that read 'Manager: Ron Stoppable'.

Although one would assume the department for 'Creative Ideas' needed to wear ties and suits, it was in fact the opposite. Blue jeans and a shirt of…well, whatever was required along with shoes that were not sandals. Had it been a suit and tie job, Ron might have been reluctant to agree to the position.

As he paced his office, obviously on a deadline to anyone who glanced in with ignorance, he mumbled ideas under his breath. For the past few years, he had been making up new things or combining several old things to create something new.

"I got it!" He shouted suddenly, his head shooting up from his gaze staying on the ground. "Donuts! A donut…made entirely of a taco!"

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"Honestly!" A woman a few years older than Kim cried out indigently. "We save the Rain Forest, at least some part of it, and they don't even give us credit on the news!"

A red head hero smiled at her co-worker, adjusting her casual outfit. "Mary, we're a secret organization funded by the government with taxes that should be filling pot holes through the great USA. We aren't getting on the news anytime soon and if we do, it won't be for saving anything!"

"I suppose you're right." Mary sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Still; I'm getting so sick of this! When you were traveling the world helping people for free, Mrs. Kim Stoppable, didn't you ever feel…like no one gave you credit? You were widely known of course but you rarely saw your face on newspapers and TV."

"Not really; a good deed isn't meant to be put on Broadway lights; it's meant to be…well, a good dead." She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess you're right though, it does make you feel a bit used."

They turned a corner of their building. "I think though…I enjoyed sabotaging those machines, putting rocks in them."

"It's way different from your past deeds, eh? No more battling villains, not ones in suits like ours. Do you ever miss traveling around and breaking into bases?" Mary asked as she hit the button to go down on the elevator.

Kim smiled at this. "A little…but I want to settle down now. And anyway…" she looked at her friend as the doors closed, "At least I get paid for saving the world in some way now!"

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Next chapter: We see Zuri and Abidemi's adventure as they make their way up to America. They board a plane and scare a bunch of people…fun. Review please!


	6. Boarding Flights

**Thanks to Katsumara, PengyChan, HotarutheChainMaster, VampireNaomi, and Dragon-Girl-Begins777 for reviewing! I've been very so busy lately and so I've taken advantage of writing this during class while these stupid pink wearing powder puffs are trying to break the rules by using their cell phones to order tacos from across the street…right in front of the sub. **

**Yeah, idiots, right?**

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Flight 257 to Chicago, United States, is boarding. Those who have Flight 257, your plane is boarding.

The feminine voice echoed through the intercoms. Of all the hundreds of passengers jogging through the airport, only two stood still, their expressions as calm as the land after a storm. Almost bored with this busy place, they looked around with mild interest.

"Shall we go, Mother?" The child asked before looking up, his height almost reaching her shoulder. His bright green eyes met his mother's emerald ones, both of them possessing a certain menacing emotion. They were ready; they looked like soldiers about to enter the battlefield.

"Yes, I don't feel much for missing our plane." She started to walk first, knowing her son would follow without question. The hall they had to walk down to reach their gate seemed longer than the desert they lived at, almost seeming like it never ended, causing people to walk and walk until they dropped.

As if the people who built this long stretch of carpet thought the people could use a bit of amusement, they hung things on the wall. From huge windows that were surrounded by those with little kids, it was an opportunity for them to both see the plane take off…and to see the one they were supposed to be on fly without them.

Copies of paintings that were not famous or even heard of decorated the place. In a pattern, with each cheap painting there was a poster of some country, then another cheap painting except this time, cheaper. Somehow though, people still slowed down their pace or even came to a complete stop to gaze and whisper about such things.

Overall, it floored Abidemi. Why would they stop for silly picture of color and shapes that made no sense? Of places they were already going to? Such idiots!

"Stop staring at the animals." Zuri whispered lowly, reprimanding her son with a soft tone. "They are not our concern and never will be. Keep your mind on getting through security." Had her son been listening closely, he would have heard the almost invisible hint of worry in her voice. Yet from all the years he lived, he never heard his mother once worry so such a nature would be…foreign to him.

"Yes Mother." He nodded ever so slightly, keeping his sight fixed ahead.

At long last, the hall came to an end. No more carpeted ground going up and down, no more cheap paintings which had colors so neon that it could injure one's eyes, and no more groans of disappointed people who missed their flights. Abidemi closed his eyes briefly in relief; ignoring so many families with both small and older children with loving parents was difficult to endure.

"Please take off your…uh…never mind." A bulky man under a one size too tight shirt walked over, obviously a security man. When he had glanced down to tell the two to take off their shoes, he stumbled in his sentence to realize they wore none. In Africa, that was no surprise, it was common for people leaving this place to be shoeless…but for them to dress so fine and be without shoes was odd. In fact, it caused suspicion; had they robbed someone for their clothes?

Even if they had, if there was no complaint then they had nothing to question them on. "Keep moving! Place your carry-on bags on the belt. Come on, don't be slow; you're holding up the line." The same built man insisted. As calm as could be, both mother and son placed their bags on the conveyer belt.

When they walked through the security arch, it went off wildly. "Okay, step over here." An annoyed lady, probably sick from working there, took out a baton like metal inspector. When Zuri walked over, she scanned her and frowned. "Ma'am, empty your pockets out."

Showing no hints of hesitation, not wanting to alarm the guards nearby, she pulled out what looked like keys. Abidemi glanced over from his wait at the machine, biting his cheek inwardly so he wouldn't smile. He knew what the 'keys' were; thin sharp wires hidden by the key covers. They would never discover this though.

After she went through the thing once more, they handed her bag back to her and motioned for her son to step through. Abidemi walked through and instantly produced what was in his pockets; two golf balls that, when hit together several times, produced knock out gas. "Merely gifts for my uncle." He explained before they could question them.

"Go on." The lady nodded, watching them grab their cases.

"Your uncle?" Zuri looked at her son out of the corner of her eye, brow raised. There was a hint of humor and laughter as she spoke, "Clever and quick, good job."

Beaming with pride, Abidemi walked with his spine a bit straighter, his chin raised a little higher. They entered the plane and placed their bags on the seats next to them; the mother was sitting behind her son, both sitting near the window.

"Uh, excuse me," an elder lady who looked like a shrunken mummy stopped at the beautiful woman's aisle. "I believe your bag is in my seat, dearie."

"No, it is not. Find another seat." Her cold eyes swiftly went over her, daring her to protest. When she opened her mouth to do so, Zuri snapped open her bag to reveal several sharp knives that had been hidden in the x-ray. The old lady screamed with eyes wide as she held her throat though no cut had been made.

As if that didn't catch everyone's attention, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed in the cramp aisle. Zuri quickly snapped her bag closed and pretended to sleep. Well…now they would be late in their arrival, no doubt.

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Next chapter: Zuri's thoughts, Abidemi's thoughts; a bit of regular life with Hasani as well. Review please!


	7. Thoughts Scattered

**Thanks to Katsumara, PengyChan, HotarutheChainMaster, VampireNaomi for reviewing! **

**Lately I've been so busy and for the past two weeks I've just felt so…run down and tired, so updating my stories is a real slow process.**

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Surprisingly enough, the plane took off right on time. It was amazing since the old lady had fainted, mumbling about knives and such. They all thought she was dreaming perhaps, or even having flash backs. Since she had no kin with her, no one could deny that she may have had a traumatic experience with them beforehand.

Staring out the window, Zuri took in the many different shades of one color. No matter how old she lived to be, the fact that one color could cast so many different appearances still stunned her. One color could make a picture just by the different tones, the different shades.

When she thought of pictures, she imagined one of families. In a normal family picture, it would contain a mother, a father, and at least one child if not two or three, maybe even more. If it lacked one of the members, then it was not a family, it was just…people. That's what she thought, at least.

If anyone were to ask, she would tell them she had a son. Well, she would tell them such if they weren't a risk to her life's mission. She would tell them that she had a son named Abidemi and that she was a mother. Yet she would never say they were a family, for they lacked one important essence; a father.

Just thinking of the father of Abidemi made her blood boil.

His name rarely left her lips and when it did, it was usually spat out like venom. Making her say it willingly was like getting a cobra to act like a bunny rabbit. It was the name of an Englishman, a lord of sorts or something rather. She truly had no idea what he owned to make him a 'lord'; maybe he owned a castle with moats, land, or money…or something.

She watched as the clouds flew by like smoke. They were getting higher in the sky, she figured, that was why they all drifted down slightly. All the birds, people, buildings, and land were far under her now. They were far away and she wasn't able to touch them just like they weren't able to touch her. It was a relief to feel like she was getting away from her problems, that she was slipping away into…oblivion, ignorance.

If only life could be like that.

_"Attention ladies and gentlemen, there will be slight turbulence."_ The pilot suddenly spoke up, destroying her thoughts. They had been like glass, shattered into millions of small pieces and impossible to pick up again. Shaking her head, she put her seat back and closed her eyes.

Turbulence or not, she had to get some rest to prepare for Monty Fiske.

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He could feel his mother recline behind him, probably to sleep and prepare herself physically and mentally for the cause of their flight. Abidemi sighed, knowing he should do the same but found himself unable to calm his thoughts. They were like bees, buzzing and zooming constantly, unrelenting.

Oh and how his emotions were the same!

He felt like a female at the moment; his moods swung like a child on the swing sets in parks he had seen in books. He was happy, he was excited, he was sad, he was mad, he was irritated, he was confused, he was scared, he…oh he couldn't keep up with his own mood anymore! How did women put up with such things?!

Women…oh that was another thing that frightened him.

He was near that age, 15 to be precise, where he thought about them. When he would, it would be a brief moment. Truthfully he had no real moments to think of them but when he had a spare few seconds, he would wonder if he would meet anyone.

Constantly, he trained. If he wasn't outside fighting himself or his mother, obtaining food and drink, or simply training to endure bodily pain, he was inside studying. His topics ranged from Latin, Greek, mythology, a bit of math, English, his own culture and people's history, even some geography. He was very knowledge for a boy his age…except in the topic of women, dating.

To be honest, he really had…close to none, if not scarce, knowledge of them.

He knew the basics from a health book. He knew what their bodies did and how they acted normally…but he had only talked to one other female besides him mother. They both had been seven years old, shortly after he had started to train on fighting, and they spoke of the sky and lack of clouds. He vaguely recalled each word, smiling at the memory.

Shaking his head, he hoped the physical movement would toss out the memory he knew he should forget. Still that small part of him held onto it. Would he ever talk to a female, really talk? They frightened him but…

The earlier announcement had been right; there _was _a lot of turbulence.

Hoping to successfully imitate his mother, he leaned back in his seat. There was no way he'd be able to sleep peacefully through this though, he was as sure as the sky was blue, that his mother would. She amazed him at times, proving to be almost like an immortal figure.

It was as clear as the fields he had been born in that her hatred for his father made her so. Had she been a gentle soul before he came along? What was she like before he was born? Were the villagers nicer? Did they own fresh and fine things? Did she ever smile without the iciness and hatred darkening her eyes?

He would never know this.

Those questions were as good to him as those asked by man and religion. In fact, they may as well have been about man's curiosity of which religion was true, if there was a God. Both Abidemi and Man would never find out…perhaps until it was too late. Perhaps.

Rubbing his eyes with his fists, he sighed and cleared his mind forcibly. He had learned to do so when he felt nothing but pain from pushing himself further and further, only to learn he had to go even further. Feeling his body relax though he himself was not at least, he rest.

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His alarm clock went off at precisely seven in the morning.

This alarm clock was not like other children's; it didn't have some cute picture of Barney or a funny tune from The Simpsons. No, his alarm was one of a kind, one he was sure no one else had.

It was Chippy the monkey screeching at him to wake up.

Sitting up, he yawned widely with reluctance to get up. His body even protested, sore from yesterday's brief training and huge dinner. His head pounded as it did every morning when he was yanked away from a deep and, dare he say, peaceful sleep. All hopes of remembering his dream was wiped away just like the 'sleepys' on his eyes.

"I'm awake!" He told Chippy who kept screeching at him. "Alright, alright, I'll go wash my face. Don't squish your banana, jeez." His bare feet touched the chilled floor but didn't realize just how cold it was.

After he cleaned himself up and brushed his hair, he showered briefly. It was a quick one to wake him up, short since he knew he'd have to take another shower after training. Changing into the kimono he wore for the morning meditation, he walked outside and smelt breakfast.

"Hasani, come here!" Monkey Fist's voice rang out suddenly, shattering his hunger and enthusiasm to eat a warm breakfast on such a cold day. "Now!"

Jumping off the stairs, he grunted softly when his feet landed on the cold floor, making a loud slapping noise. Hissing in the discomfort, he ignored the stinging sensation and ran to the kitchen. "Yes father?"

The older man looked at him with a large grin. His eyes were blue, meaning he was calm or at least in an okay mood; thank goodness. "After your meal, meet me outside; we're going to meditate near the forest and start to rely on your other senses besides seeing."

Smiling, he nodded and sat down as his mother placed a stack of pancakes and eggs smothered in syrup before him. "Nukpana, you'll…" Monty started to snap at his lover.

Nukpana merely kept her gaze on his, standing smoothly. "…spoil him when he deserves it." She finished his sentence though it was clear that those weren't Monty's choice of words. "He'll be fine; he's a kid." She turned, hips swaying which made sharp blue eyes follow her.

"Yes yes…I'll deal with you later." Monkey Fist smirked in a way that made Nukpana blush. "Meet me outside, boy." He turned and left, the door slamming shut.

Hasani paused in his eating.

"Don't worry, he'll get over it." Nukpana kissed her son softly. "Eat up and get ready, make me proud!"

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Next chapter: Kim and Ron subtly mention Hasani's schooling to Monty and Nukpana so they try to enroll their son…in the _Yamunuchi _school. Review please!


	8. Tea, Scones, School

**Thanks to PengyChan & VampireNaomi for reviewing! **

**I'm writing a long one shot for Monty for Monkey Fist Appreciation Day at the LJ shrine. It's already more than 7 pages and it's basically humor :P so keep an eye out for it on March 20****th****!**

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"How are they?" Kim asked as she flew on her cup of steaming tea. The Earl Grey was accompanied by the delicious looking chocolate dipped scones. Though they appeared store bought, they were indeed homemade. After all, Nukpana had a lot of free time on her hands to experiment.

"Monty and Hasani?" She asked coolly though she knew that was who her friend meant. "Outside training and meditating. I'm unsure if he is pushing Hasani past his limits but knowing Monty…" Nukpana let her sentence trail off, dipping her scones into the tea, nibbling on it. Over the months she had been stuck home cooking and cleaning, as well as teaching Hasani, she had been weary of her weight. She heard many tales of a once fit woman having a child, or children, then becoming a home-mom only to gain weight. Since then, she ate low fat things.

"Knowing Monty," Ron cut in to her trailing sentence to finish it without permission, his mouth full of tea and scones, "he probably already beat the poor kid till he was black and blue."

"Ronald!" Kim swatted his arm with a disapproving frown. "Mind your manners!"

"Before your tongue is cut off." Returning the favor, Nukpana added to Kim's own sentence though it had no intention of trailing off into nothing. Still, the young man understood her threat and started to eat again.

After a moment or two, Nukpana looked over at her red headed old companion. She seemed to be trying to collect her earlier thoughts before the blond had interrupted them. "Oh right, I remember now…how is work?"

"Actually it's been pretty dull since the rainforest." She answered truthfully before taking a bite of the chocolate scones. "You have to give me this recipe; it's really good! But yeah, we've had stacks of paperwork instead of action but no biggie."

"Sounds boring." Nukpana smiled to show she was joking around. Her eyes moved to the man who was, in a sense, scarfing the food down. "You? How is your job going?"

"Miff honig hoobs." He said spewing crumbs on the table but, luckily, not near their drinks. It seemed that though he indeed grew older, Ron was still…well, Ron. Manners weren't really in the job description, Nukpana assumed. Again after he swallowed, he tried to answer, "It's going good. I made up a huge deal that saves the people money but lets up get 5% richer."

The crimson eyed girl grinned, "I never understood finances, but that sounds good. Is it everything you dreamed of?"

"Dreamed of? Oh you mean free nachos whenever I want? Heck yes!" He pumped his fist in the air, smiling widely as he thought about the perks of his job.

Kim smiled at her husband and leaned over to the only other female there to whisper, "I've had to make him work out four times a week because of that."

Giggling, she whispered back, "You know you could always burn off the calories in bed."

As sly as ever, Kim said out loud to taunt Ron with their secret talk, "Who said I didn't already?" While the young mother spat up her tea laughing, the only wedded male in the house raised an eyebrow and blinked, wondering what they were talking about.

"Secrets don't make friends." He said something from his childhood days. Oh yes, he still remembered how many people would whisper to each other but never to him when he was near. At that time in his life, he understood fairly well that they were talking and laughing about him.

"Sorry Ron, it's nothing." Nukpana assured him with a wide grin. Standing, she began to collect their near-empty dishes to put away. Kim offered to help but was all but pushed back into her seat by the hostess. "That is good to hear though, that you both enjoy your jobs I mean."

"Speaking of jobs…how is yours?" Looking up, the olive eyed female waited until Nukpana had a mask of confusion on her face. "Teaching Hasani, of course!" There was something in her tone that the young mother instantly did not like. Her training kicked from years of living and learning under Monkey Fist, rising suspicion as high as China's Wall.

"Teaching him of many things is quite pleasant. He learns fast and is eager for more." She smoothly answered so she wouldn't alert the woman of her suspicions. "Why do you ask such a thing?" She put a smile at the end of her threatening sentence.

"Oh, just curious." Kim copied her action, ending the answer with a huge grin. "And Monkey Fist is happy teaching him how to fight and stuff?"

This made Nukpana laugh heartedly. "It's every male's dream to teach his son to follow his footsteps so yes. Well of course they have different dreams but…that's one of them." She dried a dish before putting it up, walking over to her friends again.

"Another would be to…live in a cheese house." Ronald stretched his arms as he said that, almost emphasizing just what his 'dream' was. He placed his hands at the back of his head, grinning seriously at the two females.

Both gave him a dull look before looking at each other. "Predictable for him." They said in unison though completely unplanned. Laughing, Nukpana sat down and tried to relax.

"Have you been thinking about a public school?" Kim asked suddenly, interrupting her friend's silent meditation.

"Or a private school?" Ron snorted, "Monkey Fist has all that money so it'd be easy to pick one."

Frowning, the black haired girl leaned forward to talk to Kim directly since she was more…mature. "What are you up to, old friend?" She whispered with her eyes narrowed into crimson slits.

"Maybe it would be wise to enroll him in the Yamunuchi school." She said bluntly.

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Next chapter: Monty, Hasani, and Nukpana go off to _Yamunuchi_school to try and enroll him...they are not alone. Review please!


	9. The Hike

**Thanks to VampireNaomi and Katsumara for reviewing…**

**Recently a friend of mine passed away so please don't expect a lot from this chapter…RIP Mitchell, I miss you and love you.**

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"Nukpana is the tea on?" The door was thrown open only to be kicked carelessly closed a couple of minutes later. It was the tired voice of her lover and the father of her son; Monty. "The weather decided to turn cold and rainy…I think I might be a bit sick."

"How is Hasani?" She shot back faster than he could inhale for the next sentence. Of course she figured he was with him since the door hadn't closed like it would when only one person waltzed it. "Hasani, are you sick as well?" She started to heat up the water as she walked over, spotting the two.

Both Monty and Hasani were wet, shivering, and miserable. Father and son were both hunched over with a dull glare on their faces, both annoyed from something the other did. No doubt it related back to training.

"I feel tired, mother, but I don't think I'm sick." He answered before stretching a little, his body sore as ever. Nukpana felt sorry for him, for she knew how harsh Monkey fist could be in training. She remembered struggling for a while when they first trained; she couldn't imagine how her son survived it with his weak lungs.

"I have the water boiling; Chippy!" She called out to the monkeys that lived in their own room. "Can you help Hasani to his room and get him dry clothes? I have some of Monty's down here from the laundry."

The monkey who also served as an alarm clock quickly jumped over the railing, landing almost on his master's offspring. Chattering in his own language, which all three humans seemed to semi-understand, he pulled the boy up the stairs to his warm room.

Nukpana looked at the trembling Monty with her arms crossed under her bosom, her frown deep. "Monty I wish you would be careful with him!" She snapped and stayed standing there, not at all bothering to make a move towards the laundry room. "We may be able to make more children but he is unique; he is our son!" She lectured him for what felt like the hundredth time.

The man growled and tried to hide a sneeze, making a funny high pitched noise instead. "I know that woman! I'm not trying to kill him! I'm training him to be the best, to take on my role when I'm gone!"

Her crimson eyes landed on the bits of gray in his hair and her facial expression instantly shattered. "…Oh my love, don't talk like that." She walked over and kissed him softly, almost feeling the chill radiate off his skin. "You'll be here for a long time." She sounded to try and convince herself. "In fact…we'll die together on the same day at the same time."

Monkey Fist paused to consider what the words really meant. The idea of Nukapna dying before him…it felt like his heart was squeezed by a cobra. He had loved her ever since he set eyes on her in the jungle, ever since she saved him from the quick sand over the two jewels. Oh the very thought of her leaving…he wouldn't be able to go on. He just wouldn't…he couldn't. He was the way he was now thanks to her; he was…almost 'good' in a sense because of her.

"You promise?" His accent grew a bit thicker when he suddenly blurted the question out. The lover of the monkey man blinked twice and looked at him, their eyes meeting. She could almost see and sense the same thoughts, the same pain, going through him. Plus, he always had a thicker English accent when he was upset.

"I promise." She nodded and gently kissed him again. "I'll always love you Monty…I'll love you until death and even afterwards." She assured him though she knew he would probably never repeat those words to her; she just knew he felt the same way though.

Swift as ever, she turned just as he moved forward to give her a deeper kiss. "I would hug you," she went on with a smirk as she walked to the laundry room, "but you're soaked and I just changed into these warm dry clothes." There was a certain teasing in her voice as she said this.

"Ha bloody ha." He frowned as he shuffled to the counter to place his hand on it. Balancing himself, he managed to strip naked in his kitchen. It was the sheer knowledge that his son would probably take a hot bath before coming back down that allowed him to stand there in his birthday suit.

When Nukpana came back, she paused with her foot in the air and lips parted in the frozen attempt to speak. The clothes in her hands seemed forgotten as her eyes went to a certain part of his body. "…Monty…I suppose what they say is true…coldness causes er…shrinkage." When she spoke she managed to be able to walk again, her amazing balance living up to its title.

"Shut up!" He snapped, his cheeks turning a light pink. She gave him the clothes but remained staring. "Stop that staring you foolish woman." He grumbled, putting his shirt on.

Unable to resist, once he was dressed Nukpana stepped forward and kissed him again. The only difference this time was her body pressing against his and their tongues fighting for dominance. His hands grabbed her waist, one sliding up to holding her head as he pulled away for air, panting.

"I'm certainly warmed up now!" He proclaimed with a laugh, making her flush dark red.

"I uh…can feel." She hinted before pulling away, pouring hot water into two cups before adding some tea to it. When she felt it was perfect, she walked back to her lover and kissed him, placing the hot liquid in his hands. "I'll go give this to Hasani…then we need to have a talk."

Without waiting him to protest or actually register what she had said, she quickly scurried up the stairs and into her son's room. There was a pile of wet clothes in the middle of the room as if they actually spent time measuring every inch and determined just what the middle was. Stepping around it, knowing she'd have to wash soon, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Hasani called out, the water still running.

She stepped in and laughed softly to see bubbles almost covering her son's head. "Bubbles bath? Was training truly that bad?" She saw Chippy putting away the soap and took a seat on the counter, ready to attend to the young man.

"It wasn't me!" Hasani protested as he took the hot tea from his mother. "Chippy made me; he said I smell."

"Well maybe if you washed behind your ears…" she chuckled and looked over at the monkey who was, all in all, a nanny.

The young man smiled and shook his head. "Thanks for the tea."

"After you get out, go to bed…I'll bring you your dinner and sneak in a few comics." Before he could protest, she added, "I don't want you getting sick."

In her attempt to make an escape, she quickly ran off but not before giving Chippy instructions on keeping him to bed. She knew she would have to talk Monty into taking him to Yamunuchi, a school that was, in a sense, for the 'good guys'. Still, it shouldn't be that hard since he was…warmed up.

! "I still can't believe you talked me into this." Monkey Fist grumbled as they walked up the mountains. The hike itself wasn't a big deal, Hasani had been trained well enough by his father to deal with it; it was the weather. Cold, nippy, and a bit of snow seemed to make the hike three times as hard for Hasani and an annoyance for his parents.

"Technically I barely talked." She pointed out smugly while looking over her shoulder, spotting her son, then Chippy behind him. "Come on, we're halfway there!" She encouraged him.

The motherly side cursed herself and the very idea of him joining the school. The motherly side wanted to do something for him that her own parents never did for her; take him in her arms and carry him to safety.

Yet she knew fairly well that she couldn't. She had to let him walk up to the school by himself so he could be ready to take the test. It would help him out and it would encourage his father to, perhaps, approve of him a bit more. At least, that is what she, Ron, and Kim had hoped.

"Hurry up boy!" Monkey Fist continued his usual way of 'cheering' by sneering. Ignoring the glare from Nukpana, he took a few extra steps faster than before just to push the offspring behind him. "If you don't catch up, I'll throw your mother on my shoulder and we'll leave without you."

Whether the threat motivated him with fear or just encourage him to get back at his father with rage, Hasani picked up the pace despite his labored breathing. Nukpana shot her lover a worried look but quickly looked away, not wanting to anger him as well.

Nearby through the wind and the snow stood two figures, watching the four in a distance. Their eyes were similar in their motions by drilling invisible holes through the man in the front. Both their green eyes, one bright than the other, studied the monkey man who had a scorn on his face.

"That is my father?" Abidemi questioned his mother Zuri. He tried to make his tone sound neutral and uncaring but it was as plain as the day that he was in awe. It was only natural for a boy his age to wonder who his father was, to hope to meet him one day and learn from him; to…just have a father.

Still, it seemed to infuriate Zuri.

"For the time being, yes; he won't be for long." She pointed out with menace in her tone, hinting her plans for the future. Without waiting, she started walking up the parallel path. The snow wasn't as bad on this side as it was the other side so their footprints were easily covered the further they walked.

Abidemi inwardly frowned at how his mother sounded. Disliking their future action, he marched on in silence. Still, every now and then he looked over at his father who had no idea his first son was so close, who had no idea he had a son before the weakling behind them.

The black hair on both males was messy despite the weather, a similar trait. Although he knew he had his mother's eyes, he sensed he had his father's skin and his nose, perhaps even his chin. Had he been the spitting image of the cold hearted monster, his mother probably wouldn't have let him live with her, if at all.

He saw the scowl on his father's face and could even hear the faintness of his voice. It sounded strange, nothing at all like his own. Maybe it was the accent. But there was certain harshness in it, the only kind of harshness that lived to help the one he cared for. His mother didn't have that; she just was strict.

Witnessing him yell at his half brother…oh yes, that boy was his half brother shockingly enough…he knew Monkey Fist trained the boy hard. That was why they were going to this…secret ninja school. At remembering just what it was, Abidemi faintly wondered if they would linger outside or actually attempt to get in. He suspected he wouldn't be able to get in without getting caught, so he would have to convince his mother to wait just a bit longer.

How old was this boy across from him? He looked strained…he was fighting to keep up and prove his worth. Oh yes, Abidemi knew very well about that. How many times had he pushed himself until he was sick just to have his mother say that was enough?

Though he was supposed to hate that boy, and he did, he also felt sympathy towards him. He could empathize with how he was dealing with it all. In fact…he was anxious to see if he actually made it into Yamunuchi.

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Next chapter: Try outs at the _Yamunuchi _school, results; Sensei's thoughts and musing to his student Yori about Monkey Fist's development. Review please!


	10. The School, The Test, His Change

**Thanks to Katsumara, VampireNaomi, and Pengychan for reviewing!**

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"I see you are well, Nukpana…or should I say Noibara?" Humor entwined with an aged voice as the person of said voice stepped over. Through the grounded and trapped snow, a set of feet pushed through it and occasionally stepped directly on it to create a 'crunch' sort of noise.

Familiar crimson eyes shifted to see the old man and instantly looked down. Nukpana's face was a dark maroon when he reached them, obviously embarrassed. "Must you always bring up my foolishness from my past?" She smiled nevertheless, bowing slightly to Sensei.

"It is always good to see an ex-student of mine even if she was and is a student of…Monkey Fist, hello." Pretending to have just spotted the monkey man, he nodded his head in greetings. "How are you two?" He said casually, apparently ignoring or just not seeing their offspring yet.

"We are fairly well…I'm freezing actually." Nukpana smiled at the man. It seemed like Death was hanging over all their minds; he looked so old, so small, and so fragile. Perhaps he was thinking of it also for his eyes moved onto the youth, the very thing he lacked. "This is our son, Hasani." There was pride in her voice as she introduced the two of them, smiling to see Hasani bow to the man in respect. Though she didn't dare look back at her lover, she felt him grin as well.

"Hasani…you look a lot like your mother." Sensei commented as he looked at him through what appeared to be closed eyes. But then again; it was common knowledge that boys looked like their mothers and girls looked like their fathers.

"Thank you." He said with a small smile, obviously happy to be complimented.

Before any other 'sappy' greetings were exchanged, Monty snapped, "Can we move along here? It _is_ rather cold and I'd rather not have either of them get sick." His lover turned to stare; so he _did_ care about Hasani's lungs!

"Of course, of course. Follow me." Sensei said smoothly before walking back into what seemed like a warm room. It was obvious to those who knew him that he was itching to get more information about the offspring of Fiske and Nukpana. However, manners held him back.

As soon as they sat down, a sigh of relief left both mother and son; their feet could finally rest. Monty looked sideways to the mother of his child and smirked. He recalled when she nearly collapsed – and sometimes did – after their fighting sessions at times. So many years had passed since then!

Before Nukpana would speak, a cup of tea was placed before her and she paused. Looking up, she spotted the young woman no older than herself…who was she? Ignoring the sense of familiarity for the moment, she spoke, "We traveled here to see if Ha- YORI!" The name of the woman popped up in her mind like a firecracker, snapping her sentence in half with surprise.

The lady of twenty-something looked over after pouring her sensei tea and smiled. "Noibara, it is nice to see you as well." It was more of an inside joke between them than an actual reminder of her foolishness by using her fake name. It was the name they came to know each other with, therefore it stuck.

"You look so different!" Nukpana smiled, "Your hair! It's long and tied back! You look so amazing!"

"As are you. Motherhood has made you look radiant even in this frigid weather." Ever the polite female, Yori smiled as she looked at the confused son. After chattering briefly, she sat next to Sensei a few inches behind him off to the side, a show of respect perhaps. "Please, go on and tell us why you are here." She encouraged gently, getting back on track.

Getting back to the subject at hand, she explained, "Our…"

"Our son Hasani," Monkey Fist cut in, obviously not wanting her to stray like before, "wants to join this…school." He used the word carefully; his harbored feeling about this place was like a glacier melting…it took a while to be rid of.

"Wants to?" sensei raised an eyebrow, sipping his tea, "Why, I am surprised he even knew about this since Nukpana's mention of her old name confused him. Are you sure he _wanted_ to? Or is it his parents that want him to be in here?" Ever the blunt man, he stated the obvious and what he had seen.

Not backing down, the black haired woman nodded. "It is both. He's wanted to come to a school for some time and I, we, thought Yamunuchi was best."

"Why would it be best?" For some reason, he seemed to sense…an error in the child.

"What do you mean?" Nukpana followed up swiftly and smoothly, leaving no room for suspicion or doubt in her answer.

"Why not the one in the town you live at? Why here, the very school your master hates and ordered you to spy on?" Though he meant no harshness and no cruelty, for he forgave them long ago, the mention of it made Nukpana flare up with shame. Hasani obviously seemed to be having trouble from keeping his jaw from dropping. "He looks small…though I can gladly say I expect a spirit of a warrior from him thanks to Monkey Fist."

Speaking up this time, Monty ignored the compliment and stated, "That is exactly it; I want my son to be strong. Therefore, putting him in here would be for the best where he could learn good skills."

"And if he not strong under your teaching?" Sensei asked without skipping a beat, noticing the only ones not drinking their warming tea was the couple.

It was obvious this was going to keep going in a circle. It would tap dance around the subject matter but no one would dare jump and slam their heels onto it. Risking showing disrespect towards his elders, as well as being an ill-parented kid, Hasani spoke up. "I'm not as healthy as most."

Silence.

Before waiting to be deafened by the silence, or told to go on, he continued, "My lungs are fragile but my father has been training me. They are stronger but…not as strong as they should be for my age."

"And how old are you?" Sensei asked, studying the brave young man before him.

"Nine." He reluctantly answered, knowing fairly well that because of his lungs he looked younger.

The man seemed to be in deep thought, probably outlining the pros and cons of everything. Monty was glaring daggers at Hasani while Nukpana merely looked worried; their son was oblivious to them, focused on the old man before him. Finally he spoke, "I will give you several tests to see if you are able to join. Nukpana, Monkey Fist, feel free to watch or roam the grounds."

Before anyone could say anything, Nukpana ordered to her lover, "Let's go walk around outside…the snow is pretty." In Middleton it rarely snowed and when it did, it was an inch and nothing more. Though they hiked up this cold weather, she was unable to enjoy it the first time.

"…of course." Monty stood, throwing one last glance back as they started to walk off.

"Come." Sensei stood, talking to Hasani who seemed shocked. "Follow me…"

* * *

"I cannot believe he did that! He blew his chances!" Monkey Fist vented as they walked in the snow, almost melting it with his hot white rage.

With a frown, she pointed out, "Not all of his chances. If he was a hopeless case in Sensei's eyes, he would have been told to leave instantly. Sensei doesn't give try outs from pity."

"Still!" He snapped showing his stubbornness. "How dare he speak of a delicate subject like…like…like it was the weather!"

Shaking her head, she slid her hand in his and kissed his cheek. "Just relax and enjoy." Nukpana rested her head on his shoulder, grinning.

* * *

"He has definitely been trained by Monkey Fist." Yori stated in a detached voice. There was a sort of resentment, perhaps hatred that colored her tone.

Having picked up on it, for he had taught the young woman for several years, Sensei smiled. "Yes, he is. Why do you seem reluctant to admit that?"

"I do not. I just don't trust him."

"Which one; Monkey Fist or his son?"

"Both!" She frowned deeply, looking at the shorter person. "He has never given us reason to trust him…like father, like son."

Looking over at Hasani who seemed to be having trouble breathing already, he waited briefly before speaking. "Every plant in the garden needs sun to grow. Nukpana has been of good influence on him. He no longer steals. He trains his son and stays home; he is part of a loving family."

"Yes but it could all be a mask." Yori pointed out, adamant about her point of view.

Shaking his head slightly, the man sighed. "Sometime things are as they seem. For example; it is clear that Hasani would not be able to join here." He spoke softly so it wouldn't startle anyone, or for that matter let them hear it.

"…Should we tell his parents?" Yori said soberly, realizing how crushing it would be.

"We must." He nodded solemnly before stepping forward to stop the fight.

* * *

The room was silent despite the soft cracks of wood being nibbled on by the flames. The parents, covered in a thin layer of snow, sat behind their son who trembled to gain air. Had the try outs lasted any longer, Nukpana thought bitterly, he wouldn't be breathing at all.

"…I am sorry." Sensei spoke and instantly they knew he had not made it. The words after those three were muffled and pointless to the family of three.

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Next chapter: As the disappointed family leaves, Hasani sees something…or someone. They talk about different schools as well…Review please!


	11. Hike And Spy

**Thanks to VampireNaomi for reviewing!**

**Is anyone even interested in this? :S**

**This chapter is relatively short just because I'm building up to a huge twist.**

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There was almost no sound other than the wind whispering outside, encouraging the snow to fall and pile up. It had stopped on and off briefly when the parents of Hasani were waiting almost impatiently but now as they planned to hike down the hill, it fell twice as hard. In a sense, it was making up for the hesitation it made earlier. It seemed to feel the disappointment and rage that the family of three felt and swiftly caused more wind just to annoy them more.

By the look on his face, it was clear to see how angry Monty was. He should have trained his son more! Further! Harsher! Yet in the depths of his heart and of his mind, he knew very well that would have been impossible. If he had pushed and pushed, it would have resulted in him and Nukpana wearing black and visiting a stone with their son's name etched upon it.

It was nearly impossible for Hasani to be trained exactly to Monty's liking. His lungs were too small, too underdeveloped. It was something of a miracle that he lived this long after so much training from his father. Indeed this had strengthened them ever so slightly, making it possible to do certain things, but still he was weak.

Weak.

Weak!

Such a word was rarely associated with Monkey Fist! He was a grand master of self-restraint and of self-control, a master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar! He spent over half his life dedicated to that, dedicated to getting power! Just thinking of it made the man twitch as he walked, which hardly went unnoticed by the two around him.

Hasani was full of shame.

He could practically hear his mother's speech tonight when he was put to bed. _"It is not your fault. Your body restricts you but your spirit will go on…you'll find a way to surpass that silly illness."_ There was a part of him that resented that little speech. He heard it before…he would hear it soon and again after that.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Oh how much longer must he hear that? Why not hear _"Great job son…I am proud of you."_? Would he ever hear such a sentence? Oh he felt devastated…if only he…

Something moved.

It was a subtle 'something' but a 'something' nevertheless. Its movement caught his eye though he kept walking, not wanting to slow his parents down. He knew they wouldn't notice him stopping for a while and with the snow, that would make him foolishly risk losing them. Plus he didn't want them to say he was being overly suspicious.

Across to the other mountain was not far away but still quite a distance. Hasani, walking blindly behind his parents by sense of hearing, narrowed his eyes. He could see something moving like a mirror with him.

…Was that a boy over there?

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Next chapter: Zuri finds out about the school and decides to get close to their little enemy. First day of school for Hasani! Review please!


	12. Off to School We Go

**Thanks to, shockingly enough, VampireNaomi for reviewing.**

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"Are you sure he is ready?" Nukpana questioned to Monty in a somewhat quiet tone. The 'he' she spoke of stood before his parents so it was very easy to hear her. Still, she whispered out of habit and, mostly, out of concern. Never before had fear, concern, and worry made the volume of her voice go down a few notches; then again, never had she become a mother before so it was expected. Not to mention, never before had she had to deal with the fact that her son was going away, even if it was just for several hours without either parent.

Hasani stood there being stared at and studied by his parents. He felt more five than nine at the moment. Dressed up in some sort of suit that made him look a child playing in his fathers clothes, which in reality was much of a stretch from the truth, he tried to adjust to the movement. It felt so…stiff!

"He is ready." Monkey Fist stated just as grave as though they were talking about sending him into a suicide mission. "There are no other options; the other school rejected him." He paused and frowned. "It is time for him to go to public school."

Nukpana sighed slightly as though reluctant to let her son go to the place she had fought so hard for him to go to. It was like any mother, however. She smiled though, slightly excited and yet scared for her baby, her only child. "I know. Hasani, are you ready for your first day of school?"

"Yes mother." He smiled widely and brightly, trying to be as true as he could to it instead of bitter. Hoping to comfort his mothers fear, he reassured her, "I can't wait. I'll be fine, I promise!"

Truth be told, he was just as terrified as she was but skillfully hid it, a useful trait he picked up from his training with Monty. He had never been to a public school and suddenly they were tossing him into a normal fourth grade school. No fighting, no training, no reading about Mystical Monkey Powers; simply normal. What if he came off as a freak to others? He had learned over the years to try not to let the lung problem stop him, yet what if they made fun of him? So many questions!

Still, for his mother's sake and for the sake of being a 'man' he kept these questions silent.

"You begged me," Monkey Fist suddenly addressed his lover, "to let him go to a public school. You even did me a few…favors." He chose his words carefully so the young lad wouldn't click of what had happened. "Even he said he will be fine. Now relax and be happy for him." As if to make up for the sternness in his voice, he did something he hadn't done in quite a few months; he kissed both of her cheeks and forehead.

Instantly Nukpana's cheeks turned a fiery red and she spun away to keep it from her son. Still, Hasani noticed and smiled at the rare affection between his parents. When the Egyptian girl turned away, Monty smirked and looked back at his son.

"It's a bit past seven. Are you ready?" It was as if he was giving the boy a choice which, in truth, was the last thing he was doing. They had all worked too hard to turn away now.

"Yes." Hasani nodded.

* * *

"You are prepared?" Zuri asked as though giving an interview.

All around them, the room was dark from a lack of light. They lived at a deserted house, a place without electricity and whatnot. It was basically another way of saying they broke into a broken down home and were living there for the time being. It was no more different than the house they had back in Africa.

Abidemi stood there in another suit, in something that he had never worn before. In all his years he had worn mostly just pieces of clothing, scraps. Never had he worn something so…so fine! Of course it was stolen but still, it felt nice.

"Of course." He stated coolly almost in the same tone as she did. That was one thing he hated sometimes; after glancing at the families at the air port and whatnot, he wondered why he didn't have a similar relationship. Instead, he had something of a…a business relationship. It was quite upsetting at times but he had learned to push it aside.

"You know what to do?" Again, her voice was cold with a hint of anger, perhaps directed at Monty, this time.

The young lad paused and then nodded. "I do." As much as he hated to do it, he would without question.

"Come along."

Not long ago, she spotted Monty dropping off Hasani at the same school Abidemi was going to as well.

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Next chapter: So Abidemi is going to the same school as he is; let's see what happens at lunch. Will they be friends or enemies? Will Hasani realize that's the boy he saw on the mountains? Review please


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